Sweet Summer Memories
by Phoenyx0728
Summary: Hunt down dangerous Grimm, including but not limited to Goliath and Dragons? He's your man, money-back guarantee. Build an underground spy network that's a key turning point in a war? Easy, Qrow's your guy. But, tell the most cherished person in his life the truth... Well, he was going to need more liquor. One-Shot.
**Thanks to Patleon909 for (unofficially)beta-reading it.**

 **Go give a congrats to redwing36 for winning(and becoming a mod on the same day, huh) though, I'm sure it's well deserved.**

 **Good to know my _actual_ best was never good enough for the subreddit. I'm done trying to pander to it's crowd. You want to know my issue; read the A/N after the story.**

 **Those of you coming from the subreddit's Moncon thread; Hi, welcome to my best work yet.**

 **Enjoy,  
-Phoenyx**

* * *

"Uncle Qrow, Uncle Qrow!" A chipper set of voices used to shout, high and shrill, coming from a bundle of a red cloak he had sewn for her and a set of lilac eyes. Sweet kids, still pronounced it like 'Qwoe' back then. They'd crawl in his lap, sitting wherever they damn well pleased and kicking him plenty more times than he'd ever like. Then, A blonde head with a loud mouth would always follow up with: "Tell us another story!"

He missed those words.

It was necessary, though, or at least, he thought it was. Qrow knew for a fact that Ruby and Yang had grown up enough to think of their own stories, hell, to _make_ their own. And what else could he tell Ruby? She'd heard all the fairy tales, memorized all of his team's battles down to the most vivid detail he could remember, she'd even read all of the obscure books he used to fall back on when he had no ideas that particular night.

So, Qrow drank. Often and deeply. The drink left that pleasant burn in his throat and chest, dulled that keen edge off the outskirts of his senses, came in with a spicy almond taste and left the warm tinge of oranges on his tongue. He wouldn't go as far to say that his entire reason for drinking was the adulthood of his two favorite people in Remnant, although it didn't quite _help_ all things considered. No, his is a desolate reason.

Yang had always asked for her mother and Qrow always spoke to his Firecracker honestly.

Ruby asked the same and he couldn't bring himself to repeat that honesty to the sweet Summer Child.

Sure as hell made him feel guilty, too, the little one had molded her _entire_ style from her mother and him. But that was also what made it the most painful, seeing that spitting image of Summer wielding _his_ weapon, using _his_ style. Almost as if she were their daughter, almost as if he'd gotten the one thing he'd wanted most in the world.

Summer Rose.

But... He had Ruby. It was more than enough, more than he deserved, more than he had a right to ask for.

"Uncle Qrow!" She sounded much older now, holding that assured tone that comes with womanhood, yet that same sparky, bright brilliance he loved to hear behind it. The sweet scent of strawberries followed her around. "Tell me a story!"

 _Oh_?

"Where's this coming from, kiddo?" Qrow glanced up from the tile and smirked, a reflexive gesture he used far too often. "You haven't asked in years."

"Only two! I like having you tell stories." Ruby admitted, planting herself unceremoniously on the ground in front of the bench he'd chosen. Beacon's halls were cold today, he noted, and emptier than ever. They were also far more beautiful than he remembered since Yang had a hand in the rebuild, it was obvious to see. "You have a special way of doing it that only you can, and I'm sure there's more for you to tell."

"What makes you so sure?" His eyebrow crept up his forehead.

"Oh, well you do this thing," She talked with her hands, just like she used to do before Cinder's attack. Just like her mother used to, and yet entirely different from Summer. "Where you down most of your flask in one gulp and look into the distance. Kinda how Jaune does every so often, but also kinda... not... cause he doesn't drink?"

"And...?"

"You used to get the same look when I asked about my Mom." Her silver eyes met his, words sharp enough to sting despite their soft tone. His smirk faltered, his eyes averted. He made to lift the flask again, but she intercepted it mid-lift. Bigger, meaner, experienced, and easily stronger, Qrow could have that drink if he wanted it... but he had no power over her soft, warm hands, those lithe and strong fingers shaping him any way they saw fit, wrapping him into whatever knots she wished.

Gently, she pried the liquor from his grasp and set it in her lap, folding her hands over it as she'd done many times in the past. "I'm not an idiot, or a dunce, no matter how many times Weiss insists I am. I've noticed for a long time."

"And you waited?"

"I was hoping you would tell me yourself."

Qrow frowned. "Gimme the flask back."

"Tell me a story and you can have it," Ruby smiled, same old song and dance. "You promise?"

"Fine." He growled without any heat behind it, extending his hand. Ruby smiled as she uncorked the flask to steal the final gulp, before setting it in his hands. He raised his eyebrow and shook the empty flask solemnly while Ruby cleared her throat of the burn. After a moment of deciding whether or not to throttle her for her theft, then another moment of wondering why she had to get old enough to drink – not to mention when – before he sighed in his defeat. "What do you want to know?"

"Describe my mother for me. In the way that only you can."

Hunt down dangerous Grimm, including but not limited to Goliath and Dragons? He's your man, money-back guarantee. Build an underground spy network that's a key turning point in a war? Easy, Qrow's your guy. But, tell the most cherished person in his life the truth... Well, he was going to need more liquor.

"Summer was..." For once, he felt like floundering like he was a teenager again. Instead, he cleared his throat and changed tact. "Summer... Did I ever tell you how we met?"

"Beacon Initiation, right?"

"I landed on her."

"Landed on her?" Ruby repeated, mouth hanging slightly open in a tiny 'o'. "Like..."

"Yup." Qrow smacked his palm into the side of his fist, the sound echoing. "Smack dab on top of her. Wanna know what I said?"

The silence most likely meant yes, so he half-smiled. "Now I already knew her name at this point, mind you. But I landed, we slid and, with us still sprawled together, I say the first thing that came to my mind. ' _Is your name Summer?_ ' I say, ' _Because you are hot._ '"

"No!" Ruby gasped, a micro-expression away from smiling. "You _didn't_!"

"I did."

"You hit on my mom!?" Another second of that stunned expression before she burst out into the tinkling bells of her laughter. "You-! With that-!" The words didn't make it far before her giggling took over, her hands falling over her stomach. Qrow couldn't help the grin. "Yes, I did."

Almost as if the reassurance tipped her over the edge, Ruby threw back her head and turned that tinkling little giggle into a ringing laughter, one that echoed through the empty halls and played music with every surface it could dance on. Such genuine mirth flowed out of her every movement that Qrow found himself chuckling along, caught up in her happiness to the point that his flask lie beside his leg, completely forgotten. "She had that same look on her face, too." He pointed out for her, leaning forwards and resting his elbows on his knees. "That almost-smiling but still not sure about how to react look."

"Oh, Uncle..." Ruby wiped at one of her eyes, her skin flushed and her smile bright like sunshine. "What else?"

"She hid in her hood the rest of initiation," Qrow rubbed his hands together, unsure of what to do with them. "But you should have seen us, we just clicked," His fingers snapped, "Like _that_. Ursa, Beowulves, Nevermore, Deathstalkers. It didn't matter, she had the plan and I had the power. Raven and Tai? Sure, they were strong too. But Stark was the top team because of Summer and I. Don't let your Dad tell you any different, either."

"So she was strong?"

"Strong!?" He scoffed dramatically, putting flare behind the action with a hand that came to rest over the center of his chest. "Of course! Where do you think you got all of your talent from?"

"A good teacher."

"Hey, no flattery. It's unfair." Qrow flicked her forehead, earning a scowl and a pout from the Summer Child. "She was quite the weapons geek, if you must know. Helped redesign mine, actually. Those plans I helped you with for Crescent Rose? Based on one of her many designs for my weapon."

"Ooh!" _That_ got her attention more than anything, judging by the way her voice rose in both volume and octave. It warbled like a singer, lilting and fluttery. "Are there any more!?"

"Probably," A pregnant pause of narrowing eyes, "Yeah, I don't know. Your Dad might have them stored away somewhere."

"Oh..." An uncomfortable silence fell between them, the implication behind the words potentially more than enough for Ruby to deduce what sort of situation was between the remnants of team Stark. She was smart like that, always had been, always will be. Qrow watched her carefully, glancing off to the side and sighing. When he opened his mouth to say something, however, Ruby perked up like a puppy with a new toy. "You still haven't described her."

"What?"

"Describe her." The Summer Child replied, drawing out the words dramatically. "You know, it's when you use adjectives and nouns to-"

"I know what describe means." Qrow scowled while she giggled. It softened him more – He, as always, will be helpless to his niece. "I'm just not sure how you want me to describe her."

"Well, you've told me how she fights, sorta, and how you were as a team but… What was she like, what did she look like, what were her little tics, her dreams and aspirations? I ask you and Dad all the time, but you just give me half answers." She slapped her soft hands on the outside of his, hard enough to slap his palms together. "Please, I'm sick of hearing only what Dad tells me. Describe her in the way that only _you_ can. It won't be weird, I promise."

"I..." Could he? "...can't."

"Nope." The 'p' was popped, her arms crossing over her chest in a way that was almost haughty, almost Schnee-worthy, and _far_ too cute for him to take seriously. "You don't get that option, _you_ made a _promise_."

Damn. So he had.

"She… Hmm." Qrow rubbed his hands over his face, unsure of how to cope with his rare loss of words. As Ruby had learned from a friend; The truth could never be a mistake. "Summer was… a lot like you are, actually. I think what really stood out is that, no matter what, she was kind to everybody. You tell her there's some lost kid in Vale and she's searching before the sentence ends. Smart, too, had this talent for these on the fly plans that were chaotic and effective… But mostly, she was like you. She had this… Heh, this naive heroism that inspired everyone around her," He knew his voice was reverting back to its slow, gravelly tones, it wasn't made for holding the happier cadences like hers was. Even he could hear how he sounded; Distant and solemn. "She was electrically excitable, had a smile like sunshine, eyes like a stormy sky. Her presence and friendship was like a flower that had been planted in me, one that wouldn't leave, always grew, and always smelled so very sweet."

Now, this. This is exactly what Ruby had always wanted from him. Qrow knew that from the beginning. Even though she was no longer a child, his ways with words enthralled her like nothing else could. Just as it should, he spent two hard years learning the skill for her – She adored the unnecessary descriptions and deserved the truth of what he still felt.

"Skin like smooth cream, with its own bloom and shade that was specifically hers. Her voice was like a melody, her laugh; a symphony of wind chimes, her battle cry; a call for hope. She talked like a country girl, ate like a city boy, slept like the dead and rose with the sun. The day she had you was the happiest I'd seen her, that sunshine smile turned blinding, and those eyes shone like lightning on a cloudy night. You made her happier than even her wedding day did." Qrow sighed, pushing his palms over his face, the stubble on his chin scratching against his skin. He set his red eyes on her silver ones, lost in the familiar sight. "She was kind and benevolent and fair. Her life was beauty, her story was tragic, and... the day she died was the worst of my life."

Ruby was silent, most likely taking in the sight of him running his hands through his hair and regulating his breathing. Maybe he hadn't drunk enough today, not yet, to stem that tide of emotion that came whenever he was sober. Maybe it was having Ruby here, not even a hint of pity on her features, just love and support. It was like having Summer again, the talks alone where they spoke of their insecurities and dreams, where they shared their innermost secrets, where he'd fallen for her before he even had a fragment of a clue of what love was. Maybe, he was just hopelessly lost. His Summer Child stood and settled down next to him, hands folded evenly in her lap and her entire attention on him. Yes, he supposed, Ruby could never replace Summer, but she was worth it all the same.

"Tell me more." She urged, so soft that he was afraid the wind would steal the words. "Please, you and Dad always repeat yourselves. I want to know more than just her good side."

"She was..." Qrow settled his back into the hard metal of the bench behind him, using the cool feeling of the metal to center himself. He was the elder, he was the uncle, he wasn't supposed to be the emotional one. "She was insecure, at times, unsure of herself in her own body. Even in her lightest hours, she had always found something to pull her back into that pit. Taiyang was good for her in that way, he had the words to back up his thoughts, keep her from sinking further down. I had the thoughts, but never the words to say it at the time. I wish I would have told her, too, that in her deepest pain, her darkest night, and her weakest hour, she was absolutely and unfathomably lovely.

"She was innocent, naive in some of the ways of the world. Trusting people on their word until they finally burned her enough so that she drew inward. I did my best not to push her away that way, but the weight of the world put its burden on her shoulders and even the four of us could not always hold her side strong. Sometimes it was a good thing, she was good with kids and animals, but many lives were lost before she learned that life was not black and white; it's made up of innumerable shades of gray, and each shade was a different set of ashy circumstances that extinguished that innocent bonfire slowly. She suffocated under the weight of the world sometimes, and I think Raven was the one who always brought her back to us.

"She was obsessed with being a hero, making herself known as someone who could help. You know very well what those eyes of yours can do, and she was more than happy to use them to assist in anything and everything. The world was hostage and she; the rescuer. She didn't know how to do it any other way than in the light. The Criminals and Grimm were her enemies. Cinder or Salem, I don't know, was her undoing. Her heroism was her end; I believe it was her greatest quality and her most tragic flaw. You don't share this with her, you're more willing to look at the world and see it as it is… But... I should have been the one to help her here, to show her that sometimes you had to work outside of the light in order for it to shine. I regret every day that I was not there with Summer, I regret _every damn_ _day_ that I failed my partner. And… and..."

Ruby was crying, he didn't have to look to know. Qrow just kept his eyes straight ahead, pointed directly down at a light blue set of tiles on the floor. "Tell me more. I want to know it all."

"And I loved her, truly and unconditionally. She was my everything, from here to the stars." The admission did make his eyes sting, though he knew the tears were long dried. "I figured it out on a warm day in the spring, staring at the shredded clouds in the pale sky. She… She came to find me, right, she said she had fantastic news. I can remember it vividly, too, the way her hair drifted in the wind, the feeling of that warm sunshine on my skin, the radiant ray of her smile as she sat in the soft grass at my side. The way the shaded side of the leaves on the trees turned into that bright green. It all seemed so perfect. The trees danced with her hair in that wind, the birds sung their melodies that drifted into the light air. Her eyes seemed to shine so much brighter in that overcast light, her skin was an illustrious, gorgeous shade of pale white that day. She curled up her knees to her chest, covering herself with her cloak and pulling her hood up… Like she did when she was nervous.

"I knew the news wasn't going to be fantastic for me at that point; She and I were the best of friends, we shared all secrets and kept no reservations in our words." He could still feel that familiar star of fury in his stomach from her news, a reaction that hadn't left him since that day. It smoldered and sizzled with the pit of betrayal chaining it to him, just one more thing for the alcohol to capture and cull, alcohol that helped to save his mouth from the taste of ash and bile that rose whenever his thoughts of Taiyang's selfish actions came back. "She looks at me, all wide smile and bright eyes and I think ' _This_ is it' you know, ' _this_ is the moment I'd like to stay in for the rest of my life.' So, she looks at me with that sunshine smile, my best friend, takes my breath away like it was the fleeting wind, squeezes both my hands and says 'Qrow, I'm having a _baby!_ ' And she's so happy that I can't even feel. Then, she squeezes again with those soft, warm hands and goes 'Qrow, Taiyang and I are getting _married!_ '

"And I just felt a part of me, that... flower that she'd planted in me wither with those words," Qrow's fingers tapped on the flask, thinking to lift it before remembering that it was empty. "It withered and died. Summer Rose killed it without knowing, removed its light and dried its water. I remember thinking that the trees weren't so merry anymore, that the overcast sky was just clouded, and that the way she looked could still never be any more perfect. I loved her, and she would never be mine.

"I couldn't blame her, never could, never will, she could ask me for anything and I would give it to her. But… Love. The one thing I truly coveted in the world and the man I thought of as a brother took it from me, _knowing_ full well that I coveted such a pure emotion. Betrayal… that came first, I think, that hungry space in my stomach that won't ever leave. _Then_ came the rage, the anger, the hate, all consuming and ever burning. But I've never hated your father, not truly, because he made her happy, and what could I do that wouldn't hurt Summer?

"Nothing. So I left her there on the grass. Said my congratulations, gave her the tightest hug she could stand. I went to the wedding, did my dues and bore my burden, then I left her again, this time without a goodbye. I left until you were born, Oz gave me plenty of missions. I think he knew what I needed. All I had in the Grimmlands to keep me alive until you came along was the heartbeat beneath my skin, as steady then as it beats now. I was... caged, but locked in perpetual motion. I still remember looking up at the sky during the night, wondering why the wake of stardust reminded me of her."

Qrow, out of words, fell silent. The anger and betrayal had dissipated again, leaving him feeling empty and chilly. He shot his eyes towards Ruby for only a second, watching the crystalline tears that ran their rivers down her cheeks. Had his confession about her mother put her off in any way, it did not show openly. His heart continued it's rhythm in his chest, allegretto. He remembered this specific moment in time, when Summer had come after him during his downtime, found him sulking and asking why he had been so distant with that sinking look of hurt that she wore. The way his stomach had twisted in distaste at his cowardly actions, at her pain – how could he be so _cruel!?_

But he had needed the distance, sure, the long months spent ravaging the Grimmlands with nothing but his scythe and his drink. The wind at his back and death at his side, the swan song of a crow.

Still, the moment he had seen Summer again, his resolve had disappeared like dust in the wind. His past echoed and he repeated history with his niece;

"Sorry." He whispered after a moment, looking into those silver eyes. "I did not mean to make you cry."

"It's okay." Ruby replied, wiping at her eyes and trying to smile for him. It wavered from its reassuring curve and fell short, leaving her back to silent sniffles and tears. Her shoulders shook and her eyes swam over, so she set her forehead into his chest, wrapping her arms around his midsection and squeezing as if to try to take all of his pain away. Qrow, after only a moment's hesitation, returned the embrace softly, a gentle touch to comfort her from her sorrow. "I love you, Uncle." She mumbled into his collar, petal-light in his arms. "I love you." She repeated as if to reassure him, her words a three letter sonnet.

"I love you too, Ruby." He drew circles onto her back, letting her relieve all of the emotion his words had inspired in her, letting her grieve for what he no longer could. "She used to babble when she was nervous, tried to make friends with everybody. She'd make puns, but they were always awful." Qrow almost laughed at the memories, almost. "I think she's the one who taught Yang- no, I'd bet money on it. She chewed on her thumb when she was deep in thought, but you'd rarely find her that way if she could help it. When she was embarrassed or unsure, she hid behind her cloak, you do that… or, if she was home, she'd hold you and sing, rocking back and forth. On a mission, If we were going to sleep in a house, or any building, she absolutely _had_ to have whatever area was under the window as hers, so sh-"

"She could see the shattered moon." Ruby finished, her head resting over his heart and her tears nothing more than a light trail shining down her face. "Did she have problems sitting still?"

"All the time." Qrow let her go so that she could sit back up straight. "Used to always sketch in class, either weapon designs or bad drawings of the teacher." A chuckle escaped his throat, "She got that last one from me, though."

"I do that," His Summer Child smiled. Qrow could remember finding drawings of him in her desk at Signal too, but it was always of him doing something heroic. One of his favorites sat framed in his bedroom, just where it was always in sight – Him fighting off a Beowulf… or was it an Ursa? "Drives Weiss crazy."

"Good." Shutting his eyes, he let his head roll back to rest on the warm metal of the bench. "Gotta keep those Schnee on their toes, otherwise they get all haughty."

Ruby giggled, an airy little aria to his ears. "Yeah… Hey?"

"Yeah?"

"You're a pretty good dad, you know that?"

That made him smile, pearly teeth shining in the light, a warm little flickering in his chest like the coming of a summer breeze in the spring. Damn girl still kept him wrapped around her little finger and she'd known it since she was young. Qrow only inclined his head. If there was any a time in his life to be humbled in all of his years, it was now. "Thanks, Rubes."

She nodded and let her head fall to rest on his shoulder, relaxing with him. Yes, Ruby was definitely his daughter, even if it wasn't by blood. And yes, he had missed those words from the Summer Child so much more than he should have.

"Can you tell me another story?"

But, at the least, he never would again.

"Sure, kiddo."

* * *

 **A lot of people, myself included, like the headcanon that Qrow is Ruby's dad. However, I also think the idea that Qrow had some unrequited and strong love for Summer just as much if not more. I blame Foxinstrazt and his fantastic one-shot ' _Uncle Qrow'_ for my writing this, though.**

 **What I really had the idea of is that Qrow would tell Ruby all these stories about his time as a Huntsman, to the point that he actually learned to accentuate a little bit more than normal in order to really enthrall her attention simply because he loved the way she lit up at it. I don't really do angsty, tragic things, but Qrow's story is just that to me - tragic.**

 **My issue with the subreddit:** I was inspired by the MonCon, Qrow and Storytelling, so I entered it and pulled out _every_ trick I had, as well as learning several new ones. I've watched the MonCons for the last year now, and I've seen, overwhelmingly, very popular posters or active members win pretty much every time. Not based off of writing skill, or anything like that, no, that would be absurd in a writing contest! It's basically(still) just a popularity contest in the end, and I'm not too active on the subreddit(actually, not active at all anymore, just based on how negative my experience there has been just as an author). Still, I wanted to give it a chance at redemption, so after an agonizing month, I lost to a story that has so many errors in flow, grammar, syntax at some points, misuse of word spelling, and a bunch of telling unnecessary information. I don't like to have an ego, but it took me a long time to read his story and it really annoys me how it won. Maybe I should have shoehorned in some unnecessary implications of sex and some romance, but I kind of wanted a story with a bit more flavour, texture, and heart-felt emotion behind it. So I wrote this, gave it a history and it's own timeline that's getting turned into

Ergo, I'm done with the bullshit I see.

 **So, in other news, who would want a STRQ story with this timeline?**

 **Thanks for reading, Review if you're feeling it.  
** **-Phoenyx**


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